Barbara Cook Earwood McIntyre

View Funeral WebcastBarbara Earwood McIntyre, former resident of Union Place and The Bridge, died Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at Life Care Center of Columbia.Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 11:00 A.M. at First Baptist (First Family) Church with Reverend Mike Dawson, James Bailey and Vice Mayor Christa Martin officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial. The family will visit with friends on Friday from 4:00-8:00 P.M. at the church and Saturday from 10:00 A.M. until service time. Oakes & Nichols Funeral Directors are assisting the family with plans and services.The family suggests memorials to King's Daughters School Center for Autism, 412 West 9th Street, Columbia, TN 38401 or The Center of Hope, 2441 Park Plus Drive, Columbia, TN 38401. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. Born in Columbia, on October 15, 1926, to Ulna and Maude Gilliam Cook, Barbara was a graduate of the Columbia Central High School Class of 1944. She was also a graduate of the Columbia Business College.Following several years as an employee of Tennessee Farm Bureau, she began her career in the hospitality industry in 1963 when she became the first female General Manager for the then largest hotel chain in America, Holiday Inn. She managed hotels in Columbia and Franklin, Tennessee, then took her recognized trouble-shooting skills to manage properties in Tuscaloosa and Cullman, Alabama.Barbara was the first woman to serve as Vice Mayor for the City of Columbia and, subsequently, the first woman elected as Mayor of the City in 1990. She served as Mayor for a total of twelve years. During this time, she also served as President of the Tennessee Municipal League.Barbara was the first woman elected to the Board of Directors for the Maury County Chamber of Commerce and served as the first President of the Maury County Economic Development Commission. In 1999, she helped to merge those two organizations to form Maury Alliance. Barbara continued to serve as a director with that organization for several years.She served on numerous boards, including Center of Hope (Center Against Domestic Violence/formerly Hope House), Boys and Girls Club of Maury County, Duck River Agency, South Central Tennessee Development District, Maury County Family YMCA, Maury Regional Healthcare Foundation, Maury County Tourism Board and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maury County. She was a founding member of the Leadership Maury Board of Trustees and the Leadership Maury program. She also served on the Governor's Task Force Board for the 911 Dispatchers to set standards of training and curriculum for all counties in Tennessee.Barbara was a long-time member of the Columbia Kiwanis Club, being one of only six females selected for membership to the civic organization in 1988 soon after Kiwanis International voted to extend membership to women. After retirement from politics, she continued to be active in community service as a member of the Maury County Senior Citizens Board of Directors, where she served as Chairman for several years. She was also a past board member and Vice Chairman of the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, by Governor's appointment. Barbara was a recipient of the Liberty Bell Award given by the Maury County Bar Association, the Lucille Queener Courtney Community Service Award, and was a past honoree as Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women's Club. She was recognized with the prestigious Governor's Award for Community Service, the Eagle Wings Award for Government, as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Columbia Breakfast Rotary Club and the George F. Hixson Fellowship by the Columbia Kiwanis Club. She was also commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of Kentucky.Barbara was a member of First Baptist Church in Columbia.Barbara is survived by children, John (Janet) Earwood and Lea (Eddie) Ables, all of Columbia; grandchildren Christopher (Jenny) Earwood of Franklin, Joshua (Lise) Earwood of Murfreesboro, Zachary (Liz) Vernon of Agoura Hills, CA, and Ashley(Colin) Brady of Spring Hill. She is also survived by great grandchildren, Parker, Jessie, Quentin, Madelyn and Kai Earwood, Stella Vernon, Jackson and William Pfefferkorn, Jordan, Jessica and Taryn Brady.She was preceded in death by her sister, Vivian Cook Harris, and grandson, Justin E. Ables.Active pallbearers will be Christopher Earwood, Joshua Earwood, Zach Vernon, Parker Earwood, Quentin Earwood, and Colin Brady. Honorary pallbearers include Columbia Noon Kiwanis Club.